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Multiple Views
Artist Dan Graham (born 1942) has embraced a wide range of media and genres including film, video, performance, installation, architecture (he collaborated with Jeff Wall in 1989 to build Children's Pavilion), women's magazines (Figurative—made in 1965 and reproduced in Harper's Bazaar in 1968), and rock music (where he has collaborated with musicians such as Glenn Branca and Sonic Youth). Graham is well known for his documentary Rock My Religion (1982-84), a fifty-two minute video that explores the religious and spiritual tendencies underlying the American obsession with rock music. In the exhibition catalog for Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty, Diedrich Diederichsen claims that this video is "one of the most important texts on the theory of rock music." Rock My Religion, as well as many other of these interdisciplinary projects are included in Graham's current solo show, Dan Graham: Beyond, at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Brody Condon's "Without Sun" at Machine Project
Artist Brody Condon will be exhibiting and presenting a performance of his recent work Without Sun (2008) on July 18, 2009 at Machine Project in Los Angeles. Without Sun (2008) is 15-minute single channel videotape comprised of a series of performances found on the Internet. The tape displays several young people on psychedelic drugs, recounting and documenting, to the best of their ability, their experience for the camera.
The title, Without Sun is inspired by Chris Marker's classic experimental documentary, Sans Soleil (1983), a film which examines the fallibility of human memory. For Condon, Marker's piece invokes questions of "faulty and mediated" memory, as well as the theme of travel as a "travelogue [and] destabilization." From here, Condon explains, the "relevance to kids taking inner journeys and recording themselves then posting the vid[eo] online to preserve the moment seemed clear."
A transcript of Without Sun can be found on Condon's website. It reads like a list of utterances without meaning. For instance, phrases such as, "it's trying to spiral me all in it with it man. Oh. Uh uh. Ahhhh. What the fuck?" Or, "But there is something. Weird. This is weird. You can't even begin. Everything feels nuts. Like touching stuff…." In another sequence, a young boy in his room explains to the camera, "I don't even. I'm not controlling my hands. (laugh) this is going to be the best video ever I can already tell. Because. I mean. Ayyy. I forgot there was even …" The incomprehensibility of the phrases are just what you might expect from someone on such a psychedelic journey.
However, reading them as a transcription shifts the focus--when one reads one expects trajectory ...!--more-->
The Question of Freedom at the Open Video Conference
Does free video uploading and downloading equal democracy? I asked myself this question during the recent Open Video Conference, organized by the Information Society Project at the Yale Law School and the Open Video Alliance, an umbrella coalition for the development of an "open video ecosystem": a "movement to promote free expression and innovation in online video." Conference sponsors include Mozilla, Redhat, Intelligent Television, and Livestream. The conference was held at New York University's Vanderbilt Hall, home of the NYU Law School from June 19-21, 2009. I attended several of the panels at the conference, although it was primarily Yochai Benkler's opening keynote that was of concern.
Dispatches from No Soul For Sale
Roxana Pérez-Méndez is a multi-media performance artist who works closely on the fragility of contemporary identity. Her recent piece, Caridad (April, 2009) is on display this week during No Soul For Sale at the Philadelphia-based nonprofit artist collective and gallery Vox Populi's space on the fourth floor. Caridad is a intricate installation that combines DVD video, a pepper-ghost hologram, and model dingy boat and mechanical fan. - Carolyn Kane
Can you tell me about this work and this strange screen?
A pepper-ghost hologram is a two-way glass mirror that was originally developed in 1860s and used for creating illusions, known as "ghosts," in theatrical performances. It was also used up by Disney in their production of the Haunted Mansion. The peppers ghost screen acts as both a mirror and reflecting medium, simultaneously producing reality and illusion.
The first aspect of the installation is my performance, a continuous shot of me rowing. This performance was shot on green screen with the background removed in post-production. The image is then played on a DVD and monitor that is reflected onto the pepper screen, at a 45-degree angle. Next, on the other side of the screen there is a model dingy boat, mechanical fan, and blue strips of paper that fly like moving water. This scene is also reflected in the two-way mirror, but from the reverse side. In short, both sides are caught in the center of the same image, sandwiched there, giving the illusion, and producing the reality, of being one.
This triangular structure is also echoed thematically. From a frontal point of view, the pepper screen appears to convey only one image ...
Light Art Museumified
Renowned light artist James Turrell (1943, Los Angeles) was first associated with the American Minimalists that emerged in the 1960s such as Donald Judd, Robert Morris, and Frank Stella. Today Turrell is known more as an installation artist who uses colored lights to sculpt space and disorient perception. Currently Turrell lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, near the Navaho reservations, where he continues to oversee the completion of his monumental land art project at Roden Crater, an extinct volcano that the artist has "been transforming into a sky observatory for over three decades. In honor of the recently opened James Turrell Museum in Colomé, Argentina, the only museum worldwide dedicated specifically to the artist's career, this article discusses highlights from Turrell's rich body of work and introduces the new Turrell Museum, where many of these pieces reside.


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The concept of "bring your own device" (BYOD) is an unstoppable trend especially in the small business space. It's a winning combination as companies save on hardware and training costs while improving employee satisfaction. However to embrace the power of BYOD, businesses must ensure that they have adequate protections in place to counter the associated security risks.
The first step in enhancing your small business security posture with regards to BYOD is to lay out a clear policy. It should define access methods and mandate the use of company authorized applications and security tools for employee-owned devices that access company resources. Mobile device security is relatively limited today, but standard techniques such as VPN access, setting up a pin code to access the phone, installing a security application, and the ability to remotely erase data off a stolen device will be enough to deliver basic protection. Make sure any security and data protection steps you take conform to compliance mandates such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, or GLBA. These are often industry requirements.
Embrace BYOD with confidence to explore everything the new mobile world has to offer, and do it safely. To help, all AnyMeeting customers get free mobile phone security check-up free of charge delivered by 24/7 Techies. Send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com and schedule your session today or call toll free 1-888-294-7201 for assistance. 24/7 Techies delivers online tech support to small businesses and consumers nationwide. Support is delivered remotely by taking control of the customer's computer or mobile device while the customer watches.
Note: This is a guest post from 24/7 Techies. To submit your ideas for guest posting on our blog, send email to firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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American-born and trained (Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music) pianist Sara Davis Buechner gives an enlightening lecture-demonstration on the ubiquitous Beethoven Piano Sonata in C Minor, op. 13, known to every living organism as the "Pathetique" Sonata (and might I add, one of the few sonatas to which Beethoven attached a "nickname".)
EVERY PIANO STUDENT who loves the "Pathetique" (and who doesn't?) MUST watch this. She gives an enlightening talk about the origins of this sonata, and its connection to the Mozart Sonata in C Minor, K.457.
And speaking of "living organism", that might be an offbeat way to describe Buechner's playing. Intensely powerful, often athletic, everything she does is backed up by a tremendous, disciplined technique and total immersion in the style of the music being performed.
Her recordings of "byways in the piano repertoire", such as piano music by Rudolf Friml, Miklos Rozsa, and neglected American "lady composer" Dana Suesse, are enjoyable listening. Ms. Buechner has also edited some music for Dover, including a volume of the wonderful and neglected music of Russian composer Anton Arensky.
Let's take a look at her pedigree (cribbed from another website):
Education: Juilliard School of Music, NYC, diploma; Manhattan School of Music, doctorate in music.
New York University, faculty member; University of British Columbia, School of Music, assistant professor, 2003–.
Awards: Gold Medal, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, 1984; Bronze Medal, Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, 1986; Deutsches Schallplatten Preis, for recording of piano concertos by Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxmann, 1995.
YEP. a BRONZE medal in the TCHAIKOVSKY competition.
An abridged list of her recordings:
Piano Music of George Gershwin, Connoisseur Society, 1994.
Henry Martin: Preludes and Fugues, GM Recordings, 1994.
The Paradine Case: Hollywood Piano Concertos, Koch International Classics, 1995.
Bach-Busoni Goldberg Variations, Connoisseur Society, 1997.
Rózsa: Complete Works for Solo Piano, Koch International Classics, 1999.
Stephen Foster: Complete Piano Works, Pro Piano, 2002.
Piano Music of Rudolf Friml, Koch International Classics, 2004.
Joaquin Turina: Mujeres Españolas, Koch International Classics, 2004
SO... Why have we Americans so overlooked one of our own?
She was born David Buechner. That's why. Read more here.
Our loss is Canada's gain.
Americans are becoming more accepting of public figures who are gay, lesbian, or transgender. But it seems that the Classical Music world, even with its disproportionately large number of LGBT performers, listeners, and fans, are slow to accept its own.
Here is Sara's story, in her own words, from an article published last February.
Sara Davis Buecher has lived her life with dignity and courage. And she deserves our attention. And more bookings in her native land.


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Wolf Pack rips La. Tech on senior night
RENO (AP) " JaVale McGee scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Nevada Wolf Pack to an 87-57 romp over Louisiana Tech in a Western Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday night.
McGee knocked down 12-of-14 shots and helped Nevada finish the game shooting 66 percent from the field. The Wolf Pack also had a huge edge on the boards, outrebounding its guests 37-19.
The win was coach Mark Fox's 100th at Nevada
Louisiana Tech was just 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) from the field.
Nevada never trailed after the opening three minutes and improved to 19-10 overall and 11-4 in WAC play. The win was Nevada coach Mark Fox's 100th career victory.
Louisiana Tech (4-23, 1-13 WAC) never got closer than 16 points after the intermission. That came after a driving layup by Dwayne Lathan made the score 47-31 with 16:29 to go in the second half. Kyle Gibson was the lone Louisiana Tech player to contribute double figures in the scoring column, finishing with 19 points.
The Wolf Pack led by as much as 37 points after a pair of Armon Johnson free throws with 7:25 to go in the game.
Brandon Fields added 14 points and Johnson scored 10 for Nevada.


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Caught in the Act!
Plus: Ryan Phillippe's guys' night out, Jennifer Hudson and more
• Before heading to Hawaii for a sunny beach vacation, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez shared a date – with two of their bodyguards! – inside Las Vegas's Cosmopolitan Hotel. The duo was hunting for the hotel's "secret pizza" spot – a hidden restaurant that serves New York-style pies in the hotel. According to onlookers, the two successfully grabbed pizza and were smiling as they chowed down.
• Ryan Phillippe stepped out for a guys' night out at Koi in Los Angeles, where the actor shared a late dinner with pals. Despite an attempt at anonymity thanks to a hoodie, the actor ended up nabbing a prime table outside on the restaurant's front patio as he enjoyed a laughter-filled meal.
• Also at Koi (separately): Jennifer Hudson, who treated herself to creamy rock shrimp and spicy seared Albacore while catching up with two girlfriends.
• Before jetting off, engaged couple Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo dropped into N.Y.C.'s Wildwood Barbeque for a pre-flight brunch. Lachey ordered a burger and beer, while Minnillo sipped on iced tea with her eggs and brisket.
• Bachelor Pad star Tenley Molzahn celebrated her birthday with boyfriend Kiptyn Locke at Casa Dorada Los Cabos Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The two were joined by castmate Jesse Kovacs and his girlfriend, fitness model Summer Albertson, as well as Valishia Savage from The Bachelor. During their getaway, the group lounged poolside and enjoyed some R&R in private cabanas. And, as a special treat, the birthday girl also enjoyed her own gluten-free birthday cake.
• By JENNIFER GARCIA, LESLEY MESSER and JESSICA WEDEMEYER


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-bash-3.00$ ./p4 -V
-bash: ./p4: Invalid argument
What does "Invalid argument" mean in Unix?
More details:
- p4 is an executable in the current directory.
- p4 actually refers to perforce. The option -V is supposed to display the version details.
- Solaris 10 is the OS.
- p4 has executable permissions (chmod +x p4)
- The official documentation wasn't very helpful in my case.


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It is often heard in the media that newspapers are going the way of the dinosaur. Perhaps that is true of print (though I hope not!), but one UK news service has realized that if quality journalism is to compete with today's news-as-entertainment, they need to attract and train younger readers:
The Guardian's campaign to improve the teaching of computer science and IT kicks off with a live Q&A featuring experts from Microsoft, the Open University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, e-skills UK, and the Computing at School Working Group.
The presentation took place January 10, 2012, on a "live blog" with guest speakers from Google, teachers and experts from higher education, and a "live Q & A" session.
Efforts to teach information literacy with a focus on news are also taking place here in the U.S., as mentioned previously in this column. This kind of outreach can have lasting effects only if the students have access to computers and the Internet not just in the classroom, but at home as well.
Do you know of similar outreach efforts by news and other organizations? Have your kids had this kind of instruction? What benefits have you seen? Tell us what you think!


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Harrowing suspense from Hammer. Sony Pictures' Choice Collection line of hard-to-find cult and library titles has released Never Take Candy From a Stranger (original U.K. title: Never Take Sweets From a Stranger), the 1960 "horror" film from famed Hammer Studios (released here by Columbia Pictures) starring Patrick Allen, Gwen Watford, Janina Faye, Niall MacGinnis, Alison Leggatt, Bill Nagy, Michael Gwynn, Estelle Brody, Robert Arden, and Felix Aylmer. Hammer's first and last attempt at an out-and-out "message" movie--the dangers of child molesters...along with equally nefarious small-town politics--Never Take Candy From a Stranger was a notorious flop for the famed British studio during a time when its straight horror outings were making Hammer an international name. Seen today, despite its modern trappings and its decidedly un-supernatural crimes, Never Take Candy From a Stranger fits perfectly into Hammer's nightmarish world of fear and terror; for my money, it's one of their most frightening, accomplished endeavors. No extras for this sharp, sharp black and white widescreen transfer.
In a small town in the Jamestown area of Ontario, Canada, a sick, twisted pervert, Clarence Olderberry, Sr. (Felix Aylmer), spasmodically shakes at the sight of little 11-year-old Lucile Demarest (Frances Green) and her new friend, 9-year-old Jean Carter (Janina Faye), as they play together on a rope swing near Olderberry's mansion. When Jean jumps off the swing, she loses her candy money, but Lucile assures her there's a place where they can get candy for free...as she leads Jean to Olderberry's house. Later that night, when Jean's father, Peter Carter (Patrick Allen), the town's new high school principal and his English wife, Sally (Gwen Watford), return home, they learn from Jean, to their horror, that Jean and Lucile were asked to take off their clothes and dance together for Olderberry in his upstairs bedroom. Sally's mother, Martha (Alison Leggatt), advises caution since Jean doesn't appear to be hurt, and they don't know what kind of crime, if any, has actually been committed--advice that Peter seems to go along with--until Jean has a screaming nightmare about Olderberry. That's when Peter and Sally decide to press charges. Big mistake. You see, wealthy, powerful Olderberry built the town with his lumber mill, and everyone in town is beholden to him. The police chief, Captain Hammond (Budd Knapp), in an effort to dissuade the Carters from pressing charges, goes so far as to suggest what Olderberry did was all innocent...as he had done several times before. Olderberry's son, Richard (Bill Nagy), warns he'll not only have Peter's job, but that he'll personally order his lawyers to destroy what's left of Jean's innocence on the stand if the Carters pursue this matter. Even Lucile parents dummy up, conveniently sending her out of town so she can't testify as a witness to the crime. Undaunted, the Carters proceed, leading to a sensational criminal trial--one they lose due to their refusal to let Jean be further abused on the stand by the Olderberry's repulsive defense attorney (Niall MacGinnis). Defeated, their lives ruined, the Carters plan to leave town, but little do they know that the horror has just begun....
I'm not sure I buy the frequently parroted theory that Never Take Candy From a Stranger's failure at the box office was because 1960 audiences "just weren't ready" for a serious movie on the subject of child molestation. After all...when are audiences ever "ready" for a movie on such a subject, as if "child molester flick" is ever going to be something like "a heist movie" or "a Western shoot 'em up" or a "spy picture" that general audiences actively seek out in droves? And particularly a movie like Never Take Candy From a Stranger, which, despite a rigorously non-exploitive approach, doesn't hold back on dramatizing the exceedingly uncomfortable horrors associated with that most deviant, reprehensible crime. Are large, mainstream audiences ever going to line up to "enjoy" that kind of movie, showing little girls being molested, as the above theory seems to imply they someday will, once newer, presumable smarter or more savvy audiences come along (beware the insidious snobbery of new critics who imagine everyone was somehow dumber before they and their generation came along)? On subject matter alone, regardless of its eventual artistic worth, Never Take Candy From a Stranger was always going to be a marginal-at-best performer, despite anyone's expectations at Hammer, and if anything, the studio's schizophrenic approach to marketing the movie probably drove away the remainder of whatever audience was going to show up in the first place. Imagine being the studio that was making money off violent, color-soaked comic-book horror outings like Dracula and The Mummy trying to market a "serious" movie about child molestation to the highbrow critics and audiences...with a sleazy, nasty exploitation title like Never Take Sweets From a Stranger? Mainstream audiences probably took one look at that title and balked at ever asking a ticket seller for, "Two adults and two children, please, for Never Take Sweets From a Stranger," while most mainstream critics, snorting in derision at Hammer's schizo attempt to sell an "important" sordid thriller, bypassed such a title entirely. Even the few pervs who may have shown up probably told their buddies to stay away because instead of getting their cheapjack grindhouse thrills, they instead found a taut, intelligent thriller that was as much about political and social corruption, as it was about child molestation.
Written by John Hunter (The Intruder, The Pirates of Blood River, The Grey Fox), based on Roger Garis' The Pony Cart, and directed by Cyril Frankel (School for Scoundrels, Don't Bother to Knock, The Witches), Never Take Candy From a Stranger is filled with clever little touches that unnerve us on a subtle level, like the strangely dreamlike, sinister opening, with the girls playing on the rope swing (the isolated creaking of the taut rope on the soundtrack is a nice metaphor for not only old man Olderberry's sick erotic compulsions tied down and getting ready to snap, but also foreshadowing the (swing) bottom dropping out of the girls' normal lives), or vague, unspoken insinuations of plot detail that let our imaginations run towards the tawdry (when Jean describes Olderberry making sounds "like singing...but he wasn't singing," before he "fell asleep"). Plenty of odd, nagging clues and sidebar details are presented with a light hand, with no further explanation. How did Lucile know about getting candy at old man Olderberry's? Was she one of his previous victims? Is that why she convinced the reluctant Jean it was "okay" to strip down and dance for him, since she had done it before and wasn't hurt...and no adult said what Olderberry did was wrong? How about the meet-and-greet at the school, where everyone already seems to know something is going on with Olderberry, before they trail off, their thoughts unspoken as they contemplate his bust in the school lobby? How about Martha's insistence they do nothing when they discover what happened to Jean? Is it prudence on her part, or because she too was a victim of a sexual predator (her childhood story of repeatedly witnessing a local man exposing himself to her and her friends on their way to school) and knows the consequences of "telling?" Or is it something else, something more like economic dependence, and the fear she'll lose her home with her daughter and step-son when they're ruined in their new town?
For a movie we expect to focus on the sensationalistic aspects of child molestation, Never Take Candy From a Stranger spends far more time on creating a rather remarkable atmosphere of outright, naked persecution of the Carters in the small, insular, corrupt town. No one even questions old man Olderberry's motives; he's not the problem, the "outsiders" Carters are. When they discover the crime that's been committed against their daughter, the first person the Carters go to is the town's police captain, the titular head of immediate justice in the town...who basically proceeds to call them liars and warns them to shut up if they know what's good for them. The Carters learn quickly their place in the town's society is an illusion ("You and your husband ain't members of nothing!" he sneers at her), amplified by her "otherness," since she's British (the captain's inferiority complex reaches a zenith when he projects onto her his own feelings of inadequacies, insisting she thinks of the town's citizens as "stupid colonials"). No real help is coming from their schoolteacher friend Neal Phillips (Gaylord Cavallaro), who knows the score about Olderberry, but who won't stick his neck out to offer any real support to Peter. The town gossips about the case, including the horrible Sylvia (Helen Horton), who insists most people think it's Jean's fault, being a "tease." So much for the citizens welcoming and supporting their new high school principal and his lovely family.
Olderberry's son, who runs the local mill which single-handedly powers the town's economy, turns to threatening the family when his soft-sell about a "simple misunderstanding" with his father doesn't work. Acting as if he owns Captain Hammond (he's incredulous when the cop actually serves a warrant), along with everyone else that lives in his town, is it any wonder that old man Olderberry feels like he "owns" the little girls in town, to do with as he pleases? After all...who's telling him, "No,"? If he can force Lucile's father--who works in his mill--to clam up, why can't he buy off everyone? The level of corruption in the town goes deep; even the doctor at the private sanitarium (funded in part by Olderberry) where Olderberry was treated before, admits the old man's files have been scrubbed. The Carters can't even get justice in the one place they're supposedly guaranteed it: the courtroom, where the laws are stacked against a child testifying in such a case. Here, they have to endure not only the spectacle of having their child called a liar with a "diseased imagination," but also hear insinuations that they are the perverts, when Jean admits to innocently dancing naked after a bath, in front of her father. The final straw comes when the judge warns Peter that the defense will even have the right to physically invade Jean's privacy--in essence, finishing the job old man Olderberry didn't get to--by means of a medical exam testing her virginity: a sickening prospect that makes the couple fold their complaint. Even when the Carters lose everything, Richard shows how deep the rot goes by actually offering to help Peter in an effort to boost Richard's image ("I want people to see how generous I can be with people who cross me," he openly calculates, without a trace of embarrassment). We recoil at what Olderberry did to the little girls (and what he's going to do...), but we're no less horrified at the picture of a truly perverted society that attacks--out of self-interest, greed, and puerile interest--the innocent victims of a crime.
If Never Take Candy From a Stranger had stopped there, it would have been a notable drama, but astonishingly, the movie doesn't back off, going instead for the jugular when the movie's last twenty minutes are devoted to the final, most devastating attack on the Carters: old man Olderberry's deadly assault on Lucile and Jean. SPOILERS WARNING! Here, the movie's visceral horror is unleashed, as director Frankel systematically tightens the screws, creating almost unbearable suspense cross-cutting between Peter and the town's growing panic at the realization that the Carters were right, and Olderberry chasing the girls into the woods. The girls think they're safe in a rowboat on Moon Lake, but Olderberry gets off one last trick by pulling their tethered boat back from seeming safety (nice bookending with the rope from the opening scene), before Frankel cuts away as our imaginations do the rest. Not content to stop there, Frankel drives home Olderberry's crime when he shows a sickening shot of the twisted body of a dead child (an unbelievable image for 1960), as Felix Aylmer, in a transcendent moment, preens and puts his hands out for the horrified cops and his son, as if to proudly say, "Look at what I did!" before his face twists into insanity. The movie should have ended there, with Jean being the child that's killed instead of Lucile, but the movie pulls its punches at the very end, not even giving us the satisfaction of creep Richard getting his just desserts. Still, Hunter's and Frankel's portrait of a morally bankrupt town protecting a sexual deviant and child killer, just to keep their jobs and the status quo, is one you won't ever forget.
The DVD:
The Video:This looks to be the same transfer Sony used when Never Take Candy From a Stranger was released on their 2010 Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films disc set. The anamorphically-enhanced, 2.35:1 black and white transfer looks immaculate, with Freddie Francis' frames super-sharp, with blacks that hold and little if any grain. Contrast is a little hot at times.
The Audio:The Dolby Digital English mono audio track is equally clean, with little hiss. No subtitles or closed-captions available.
The Extras:No extras, not even a menu, for Never Take Candy From a Stranger.
Final Thoughts: One of Hammer's least-known "horror" titles...and one of its greatest. Not content to simply manufacture a nail-biting suspenser about a child molester threatening little girls, Never Take Candy From a Stranger also paints a portrait of an equally corrupt, evil small town that protects that monster at the expense of his victims, simply because he pays the town's bills. One of the best suspense outings of the 1960s, I'm highly, highly recommending Never Take Candy From a Stranger.


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New Evangelization Draws Students to New Colleges
Colleges Week feature from Feb. 12 issue: How Catholic identity surmounts tough economic times.
The economy might be experiencing one of its worst times, but Catholic colleges seem to be experiencing their best times, all things considered, because of their commitment to Catholic identity.
The Augustine Institute in Denver, which offers graduate degrees on campus and through distance education, saw record enrollment this past year. "One big draw for us is our program," said Edward Sri, provost and professor of Scripture and theology. "Particularly, our distance-education program is booming."
The distance program was launched in 2008, and by fall 2011, it had more than 200 students. Students like how the DVD format makes them feel part of a live class, plus the flexibility of the program means they can "maintain their work and revenue and responsibilities on the home front with their families and still work on their master's degree," Sri said.
Additionally, the institute's graduate program is competitively priced at $365 per credit hour.
Students also "know the school stands out for being completely faithful to the magisterium and teachers dedicated to the New Evangelization," said Sri. "That's the point we hear the most from students, in addition to the high-quality video of the distance program."
Ave Maria University officially opened its Florida campus in 2003. Jim Towey's appointment as president and CEO of Ave Maria early in 2011 was followed by the arrival in September of the largest incoming class in Ave Maria's history.
Enrollment jumped 22% from the previous year, and the school is already looking at a 35% increase from 2011, according to Towey.
Ave Maria's uniqueness is what Towey attributes to the record numbers. "It stands as a place where excellence, affordability and Catholic values meet in full measure," he said via email.
The school benefits from the generosity of the university's founder, Thomas Monaghan, and many donors. And with generous scholarships, the net cost of tuition and fees is remarkably competitive — "even more impressive when one considers that the campus is only a few years old and offers state-of-the-art facilities," the president observed.
Another essential draw is how "the university respects the values instilled at home by the parents of our students. Ave Maria University seeks the advancement of human culture, the promotion of dialogue between faith and reason, the formation of men and women in the intellectual and moral virtues of the Catholic faith, and the development of professional and pre-professional programs in response to local and societal needs."
Enrollment is growing elsewhere, too.
"Our enrollment is definitely growing," said Derry Connolly, president of John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego.
"We have a compelling program that people want," he said. The media focus is especially appealing to students (see story on C1). In addition, there's the recent biblical theology graduate program, which is offered online as well as on campus. Since the online biblical master's degree began in the fall of 2009, the enrollment has risen to 45.
Tuition plays its part, too, in the college's appeal. The president said it is still significantly less than at big Catholic schools: "That works out well for us."
The College of Saint Mary Magdalen in Warner, N.H., draws people for unique reasons, according to Tim Van Damm, vice president of advancement and admissions.
Not only does the college thrive because of its rigorous Great Books liberal arts education — this is the only college in the country that grants the apostolic catechetical diploma for undergraduates on behalf of the Holy See. The college also includes two years of art and music as part of its program, which appeals to many students.
Another draw is the college's rebirth. "We're in a period of refounding and looking to grow the school significantly over the next couple of years," Van Damm said. "In the last year we have a new president, name and vision. For students, this is an exciting time, a rebirth of the college."
And tuition is also key.
"We intentionally kept our tuition low," Van Damm said, "so we can make a world-class education affordable for families sacrificing to enable their sons and daughters to go to an academically serious place where their faith is going to be encouraged and built up."
At Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Ontario, Canada, enrollment is growing slowly but surely, according to senior development officer Maria Reilander. The student body is 10% American.
"Our students are drawn by our tuition, the Catholicity, orthodoxy and spiritual environment, and the safe atmosphere," she said. "The students really appreciate the simpler life here." The "simpler life" includes a small-town atmosphere.
Although the school relies a lot on donor support, low tuition is a draw for students. Tuition is $5,950 Canadian for the year — $11,000 with room and board. As Reilander said, "That's a big reason why we're still on peoples' radars."
At Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., the average enrollment continues to grow, too, with 370 students, a 20% increase, for next year.
"The idea of a serious Catholic liberal arts education using the Great Books and involving students in an active way in their education continues to hold an attraction for a significant number of people," said Michael McLean, president of Thomas Aquinas.
McLean described how the school's two-week summer program for 120 high-school students has proven to be an excellent pipeline to enrollment. Close to 50% who attend go on to apply for admission to the college.
Even in these difficult economic times, donors remain generous. "Thanks be to God we've been able to raise scholarship funds sufficient to provide financial assistance to deserving students and families," McLean said, "so we're able to make our education very affordable in these times. Our tuition and room-and-board rates compare favorably with schools in our category."
In Merrimack, N.H., The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts freshman class has grown by 25% in each of the past two years.
"We are on track to continue this growth rate in fall 2012," said Charlie McKinney, vice president for institutional advancement.
The school notes several reasons for this growth. First, the college has a low student-to-faculty ratio and a strong academic program.
Second, a variety of programs allow students to augment their studies in meaningful ways, such as through the Guild Program, which trains them in woodworking, art, baking and music, or through internship programs in areas like law, business, publishing and politics. Also, this is the only college that sends every student to Rome for a full semester at no extra cost.
McKinney observed that when families are pinched financially, they begin to look hard at the return on their investment, concluding: "At a fraction of the cost of major universities, they find in Thomas More College the benefits of attending a small Great Books college along with the opportunities normally associated with larger institutions."
Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., is also meeting the challenges for many of the same reasons. Mark Randall, vice president for institutional advancement, believes it has two distinct advantages as a smaller, newer college.
First, a smaller budget and less administrative bureaucracy allow the college to be quite nimble reacting to the economic situation. Second, the college has a nationwide base of benefactors very keen on seeing it succeed as a start-up college. One donor recently told him, "We've seen the great things small Catholic liberal arts institutions like Thomas Aquinas College can do. We want to give Wyoming Catholic College the same chance."
Now in its fifth year, Wyoming Catholic has done quite well drawing students to the school because of its mission and liberal arts degree.
"Moreover, they are attracted to our Outdoor Leadership Program [see accompanying story in this section], something that no other college in the U.S. provides," he said. "And they appreciate that their Catholic faith is not going to be undermined here, but, rather, enriched and appreciated."
While the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., is not new, it has new qualities and vision that are meeting the challenges of the times.
"We're the most affordable Catholic college and university in the country, as far as we know," underlined Father James Shea, the president, about the $13,000-per-year price. "Here you get a world-class education that's affordable."
"Serious Catholic families are looking for a good place where their students can get a quality education in a values-based Catholic environment and where they can be confident in the safety and security of their students," he said. Bismarck ranks as one of the country's safest cities.
After he became president in 2009, Father Shea rolled out the Catholic Scholars Program, where graduates of a Catholic high school anywhere in the country receive free room and board, courtesy of donors.
"The reason we do that is we're trying to build a real culture on the campus which is amenable to the things of faith," Father Shea explained.
As the new president, he has steered the school to a stronger Catholic identity. Attendance at daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, confession and Bible study are increasing, as is enrollment.
"It's an answer to prayer," he said. "God has been really good to us."
Register staff writer Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.


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Thursday, December 02, 2004
You all know my love for the music by now. It is always has and always be a deep passion inside me burning intensely bright for country music. I can tell you so many ways why that I point out daily just about when people ask why country?
Today, and in the last week or so, a reason I've always known about became personal experience. You see, I have been working with a few friends on a silent auction fund raiser for a scholarship fund that is in honor of an officer that was killed in the line of duty from my department. I sent a quick e-mail to some of the people I work with daily to bring you all country music news and information. The response I got was amazing. I can't thank enough the support of the labels of Universal-South (provided items from Joe Nichols through Paula Erickson Piblicity) and Universal Music Group (provided items from Jedd Hughes, Sugarland, Lee Ann Womack, Billy Currington, Darryl Worley, Terri Clark, and toby Keith through Stephanie Watanabe of i.e. Marketing.)
This just another way country music is special. Their dedication and support to the community is so many ways is impressive, to say the least. They don't do it for the publicty or to show off. None of the artists required anything in return or special mention of any kind. The labels, representing the artists, did from the bottom of their hearts and the way the artists of country music are brought up and live their lives.
Right now, I can't even begin to express how good it feels to be a country music fan. I am so proud of the way that they treat their communities and fans in giving back. Sure, it doesnt take much time or cost for them to sign an autograph. However, that simple gesture in providing these items will go a long way in supporting a worthy cause such as a scholarship for a high school senior or whatever the cause is.
I know the ones of you that read my writings are fans of the music and support. Well, this is one of many reasons you can feel good about being a fan of country music and be so very proud to be a country music fan.


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Though a slew of actors were recently announced at Comic Con as new additions to HBO's Game of Thrones third season cast, one of the biggest roles remained a mystery — that of Mance Rayder, known as the "King Beyond the Wall." Though exhaustive speculation and fancasting has taken place since the series' first began regarding who might play the popular character, it was revealed today that Irish actor Ciarán Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) will take the role.
Mance is connected to the story of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), and is leader of the Wildlings — a singular presence who has united the forces beyond the Wall together to march south into Westeros, something that the now scattered and beleaguered Night's Watch has been preparing for with dread for years. For more on the casting, hit the jump.
Many HBO fans may remember Hinds' fantastic turn as Julius Cesare on Rome, and while a great number were hoping his charming Rome castmate James Purefoy (who played Marc Antony) would take the role of Mance, EW tells us Purefoy was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict with Fox's The Following.
British actor Dominic West (The Wire) was also approached for the role but turned it down because of family reasons (admirable of course, though reading the filming timeline he was given it seems someone didn't do a very good job of explaining exactly how much of that filming bloc he would actually be required for).
Still, the outcome has turned out fine as Hinds is a truly great actor who should embody the cunning role of Mance perfectly. Hinds joins another Rome alumnus on set — Tobias Menzies (who played Brutus), who has already been cast as Catelyn Stark's younger brother Edmure.
The third season of Game of Thrones is set to return in March of 2013.


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CALGARY — Hello, Canadians. Meet your new prime minister . . . Jack Layton.
"Say what?" you gasp. "That was supposed to be impossible."
Well, yes. That frightening, destabilizing, impoverishing scenario is one that more and more people are predicting as conceivable ever since Layton's rise in the polls has him ahead of Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff for second place and beating the Bloc's Gilles Duceppe in Quebec.
Before you hyperventilate and move your RRSPs into an offshore bank account or under your mattress, there are still many reasons why this scenario is unlikely.
First, unlike the Liberals whose support is concentrated largely in the Greater Toronto Area, the NDP's support is more diffuse, and therefore, less likely to translate into seats. But momentum being what it is, one never knows.
The biggest strategic mistake Ignatieff has made was declaring as far back as 2008, and then again more recently, that he is in favour of forming a coalition government (though he refuses to use the "C" word anymore) should the Conservatives win another minority government.
In past elections, voters who wanted to vote NDP often bought into the Liberal message that to stop the Conservatives, they had to vote Liberal, since it had the only realistic chance of forming government. Now, however, thanks to the spectre of a coalition, left-leaning voters can vote for Layton and still stop Harper. In other words, voters can have their cake (Layton) and eat it too (the potential of a left-wing government).
So, how likely is it that Layton might get the keys to Stornoway and eventually even to 24 Sussex Drive?
That depends on the voters, of course, who could rule it out entirely by giving the Conservatives a majority, but if that doesn't happen, it will rest on Ignatieff's questionable political smarts. If he backs up a coalition led by Layton, kiss the Liberals' dominance as Canada's natural governing party goodbye for a very long time, possibly forever.
It's unlikely the Liberal party machine would allow Ignatieff to do that, but it's feasible.
However, let's consider what might happen if Layton does become prime minister.
One of the first things Layton says he'd do is raise Canada's corporate tax rate by three points to 19.5 per cent. Socking it to those big, greedy multinationals might sound like a good idea, but what would it actually do to the country?
Currently, Canada's corporate tax rate is 16.5 per cent and it is slated to decrease to 15 per cent on Jan. 1, 2012 — something that is already part of legislation passed several budgets ago with the help of Ignatieff and the Liberals.
According to Jack Mintz, one of North America's pre-eminent economists, Layton's tax hike plan would be devastating to Canada's fragile economic recovery.
Mintz, director of the Palmer Chair at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, says raising corporate taxes to 19.5 per cent would cost Canada about $75 billion in lost capital expenditures and 300,000 jobs. But that's not all.
"By raising corporate tax rates, you're not only hurting capital investments and jobs, but you're also hurting technological advancement," in terms of investment into new machines, research and, therefore, productivity.
Layton, who clearly detests big business, says he'll cut small business taxes instead.
"Despite all the rhetoric," explains Mintz, "studies show that lowering the small business tax rate encourages a lot of new small businesses to be formed, partly because people are avoiding personal income tax, but actually, there's very little growth of the small firms."
Layton is claiming that by raising corporate tax rates, he will get an extra $6 billion in revenues (the Parliamentary Budget Officer says it's $4.6 billion), but that assumes no negative repercussions. Capital will move and much of those billions will evaporate, not overnight, but over time — jobs will disappear and income tax revenues will plummet.
"I'm really sorry to see this 1960s kind of rhetoric come back. It's very dangerous," says Mintz, who adds that the federal Liberals and even some provincial NDP governments finally realized in the 1990s that they had to address the corporate tax burden to regain competitiveness, productivity, jobs and capital investments.
Layton wrongly believes raising corporate taxes will give him more revenue so he can spend, spend, spend on lots of big, new, shiny social programs. And, of course, to stay in power and woo all those Quebec voters, Layton has already promised the mayor of Quebec City some $25 billion in projects like a new professional hockey arena, a tramway and a high-speed rail line between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont. Ignatieff has promised the same.
The separatist blackmailing is just beginning and the coalition hasn't even been formed yet!
Layton has also vowed to impose a moratorium on oilsands growth and bring in a cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions, which will devastate Alberta, the engine of Canada's economy. Layton is a likable fella and he's run a good campaign, but that doesn't mean he should be leader of the Opposition or, heaven forbid, prime minister. It's not likely he will gain the keys to the PM's official residence, but if he did, the speed at which he will destroy our economy will leave us all gasping.
Calgary Herald


text: Travel writer Richard Bangs, the longtime host and writer of the Emmy-winning Adventures with Purpose launches a new series designed to re-awaken viewers' sense of wonder. RICHARD BANGS' SOUTH AMERICA: QUEST FOR WONDER follows Bangs as he seeks out the continent's most revered sites and natural wonders - from its bone-rattling waterfalls to its ancient, sacred citadels. He visits awe-inspiring Iguacu Falls in Brazil and Argentina; mystical, remote Easter Island deep in the Pacific; the architectural ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru; and the biologically diverse Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador.


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Hurricane Isaac was just too big....too wide...and brought too much wind and too much water. This entire area is flooded with more on the way due to a dam up north getting ready to give way unless they can relieve pressure some how.
Our neighborhood was one of the lucky ones.
We had street flooding but no homes flooded to my knowledge...yet when you go through the neighborhood every 5th or 6th house had some sort of damage to their home, property, or both...including ours and both of our neighbors. We three live on the highest lots in the neighborhood and the winds beat our poor houses up.
The biggest thing was the wind....it just would NOT stop...for HOURS. Isaac stalled and with the wind came the rain....crazy sideways ripping the roof off your house wind and rain. Now I love a good storm. I love the sound of storms, I love thunder and lightning...I love hard wind and rain...but this was crazy!
We had one squall that lasted from 10:30 to 4:10! How do I know? With the power out, you notice everything...especially in the pitch dark!
Seriously....it didn't let up even for one minute. It would be like blowing out your breath for 6 hours straight. The fact that it was the night and I was sure we would not have a house by morning made me scared for the first time. I got down on my knees and said a prayer and felt better. I still couldn't sleep because of the noise but I was fine and thought "Now I know why some people chase these things." They are so powerful and confusing and interesting....too bad they are so destructive.
Most people lost power Monday or Tuesday. We didn't lose power until Wednesday and were without it a mere 28 hours...most people are not that lucky and are expected to be out of power through Sunday.
Now, in case you don't know....if you live in the south, you DON'T stock your freezer during Hurricane season which is May to November.
That being said, in case you DID, you don't want anything to go to waste so if you had meat in your freezer, it came out. There were a lot of folks grilling once the backlash blew through Thursday. People were running food to the neighbors and checking on each other,sizing up damage, etc. From above, we must have looked like ants coming out of an anthill after a simple rain shower. By late afternoon, people had switched their radio channels from weather to sports in anticipation of the Saints game.
Dean and I cleaned up a bit and put the yard back together (sort of)....we can't repair the roof yet, it is (of course) on the highest eave and even his 24 foot ladder can't reach it. We'll have to get an inspector out here as it was leaking into one of the bathrooms.
I heard the birds this morning, for the first time since Sunday. They don't come around during storms and they left once Isaac was in the area. The bees and hummingbirds were the first to leave. They can't tolerate the high winds.
Yesterday I knew things were looking up because about 2 pm a lone hummingbird came looking for food. I ran out and set up the feeders and by nightfall, they were all back....and so were the bees! If you ever wonder about weather, just check out the animals. Our dogs and cats never once got nervous. Animals are great predictors of what is coming....
The schools are closed due to all the flooding and damage so the kids are off through Labor Day. I hope I have a job next week....the school where I work is in the evacuation zone and that entire area was flooded.
I want to thank everyone for sending prayers and good thoughts our way. Please keep Louisiana in your continued thoughts and prayers...there will be a long recovery for this area.
"Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? "
-Rose Kennedy


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One of the top 5v5 teams has become one of the first groups of WoW players to become professional gamers-- Curse reports that CheckSix Gaming, an e-sports agency (or should that be promoter? sponsor?), has picked up ZERG IT DOWN as
the first professional 5v5 arena team (one of the first actually, see Update below). CheckSix also sponsors Counterstrike, Call of Duty, and BF1942 teams, and while they say they were skeptical Blizzard would be able to make WoW a part of "eSports," the arena system is what put it over the top-- it provides a quantifiable way to determine which team has the better players.
ZERG IT DOWN is made up of players in Insurrection, a guild on the Horde side of Tichondrius (the team is currently second place in the Bloodlust battlegroup). As part of the deal, CheckSix is sponsoring the whole guild-- they've put up a new website and are running a Vent server for them. In return, ZERG IT DOWN will serve as CheckSix's official team at future Arena tournaments. If there are any, that is-- the only real competition is currently the ongoing ingame season, but it's not a stretch to think that in the future, gaming tournaments will set up shop in Azeroth and pit certain arena teams against each other. In fact, Blizzard could probably benefit from helping them do that-- one of the team's leaders speculates that some Arena matches would benefit from seeing a normalized gear system, which currently only Blizzard could implement, if they even wanted to.
But it's awesome that these guys were able to pick up a sponsor, and even more awesome that a company like CheckSix was willing to take a chance and bring WoW into the growing realm of professional gaming. Congrats and good luck to both of them.
Update: Almost simultaneously, Boubouille sent a tip (thanks!) that Team Pandemic, another gaming sponsor, has also picked up another Arena team-- it's Power Trip, currently the first place team in Bloodlust. Looks like we've got our first professional rivalry.
Update2: Curse has an interview with Power Trip.
5v5 Arena team gets a sponsor, goes professional
Sponsored Links


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With 12 matches of the season remaining United find themselves in the unusual position of being way off the pace in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
David Moyes' side sit 11 points adrift of the top four in seventh position, but Mata is optimistic the Scot can still lead United into the Champions League.
Even if United do qualify for Europe's biggest club competition, it is clear that major changes to the squad are still required.
Vice chairman Ed Woodward confirmed last week that Moyes would be given substantial backing in the summer transfer window, and Mata is sure the club remain an attractive proposition for the planet's biggest players despite their current predicament.
"I don't know what will happen in the summer but the manager said the other day at a press conference that he's going to be signing players," Mata said in an interview with Canal Plus.
"I think this club is at a stage of change, but I can tell you that the best players in the world will always arrive."
The rebuilding process started with the acquisition of Mata for £37.1million in January.
And if reports in Portugal are anything to go by, then United have already started scouring the continent for further signings, with Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala said to have been watched extensively of late.
Southampton teenager Luke Shaw is also on Moyes' radar.
The club have also been proactive in their push to get Wayne Rooney to sign a new deal
The striker is expected to commit his future to United this week.
The form of Rooney and Mata will be key to United's chances of finishing in the top four, and the Spaniard is confident that he and his team-mates can do it.
"The objective is to get to the Champions League spots," Mata added.
"It's difficult because Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton are playing well and fighting for the top four, but I think we have a team who can do it.
"This is Manchester United
When this club wins two, three or four matches in a row, it has a very important mental strength, a winner's mentality
We are coming and I think we can do it, but we have to win a lot of games first.
"This is a club that should always be fighting for the Premier League
I think, in the last 20 or 21 years, they've won it 13 times.
"The mentality of this club is to win and fight for all the trophies
Unfortunately this year, things haven't gone so well in the league, but I believe there is still time this season."
While the United board and the club's fans have remained patient with Moyes despite the team's sub-par performances, there is a feeling within elements of the football world that the former Everton manager may not be cut out for the job.
Mata acknowledges that trying to emulate the trophy-laden era of Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to be easy, though.
"Everything Ferguson has accomplished is pretty much unattainable," United's club-record signing said.
"He has won everything possible to win with this club in the last 20-25 years and it's tough to maintain such a level of excellence.
"But at the end of the day, it was these players that won the league last season and the new manager has arrived knowing what this club is.
"I think he has a great relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson and with time everything will get better, the results will get better and we'll get back to being where this club deserves to be.
"My relationship with him is good, friendly and from the off, he seemed to me to be a great person."
Source : PA
Source: PA


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- Warranty:5 years


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At a recent dinner with several Houston-area wine bloggers, an interesting aphorism came up: Every palate matters. Does that hold when it comes to opinions about wine? As with almost anything, the answer is somewhere in the middle, but overall the notion that every wine drinker's palate matters is a valuable concept.
|What wines go off in your head like a light bulb?
The easiest way to understand that is to concede that we live in the information age -- or at least during an epoch in which information, its volume, and its accessibility are of central importance to our society. Indeed, the very notion that more-is-better when it comes to information seems to be hardening into theorem. Setting aside the need to sort through various degrees of how reliable that information is, there is undeniably something appealing about the information economy. You can crystallize this in a way easily understood during this election season: we like polls because they let us know with a reasonable certainty what likely would happen were voting to take place on any given day. The more data a poll has, in theory, the more accurate it is. And the same is true for this information society. Dump everything into a central input -- the Internet, broadly speaking -- and you're going to get an increasingly accurate read on things the more good information you include.
Obviously, the paragraph above is an over-simplification. As acknowledged, it doesn't account for bad or blatantly misleading or false information. (One might argue the Internet excels at the blatantly false.) But drilling down on this idea a bit further reveals that it is useful. We like to rely on experts in this country; you might argue we're obsessed with doing so -- in politics, when it comes to advice on parenting, in litigation, in almost every life situation you'll find an expert telling you what to do. What you don't often get, however, is a meaningful glimpse of the raw data that lie behind the opinion. And that's where the pure-democracy free-for-all of the Internet is such fun and holds so much potential.
|Large-format bottles at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.
To bring the focus back to wine, you can readily see how the proliferation of information enhances and frames expert opinions. Many wine consumers are familiar with the 100-point-scale of ratings employed by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and the Wine Spectator. And a portion of those consumers are lashing back against the "tyranny" of slapping a purportedly objective number on wine, a beverage lauded for its nuance and singularity of expression. Of course it's silly to think that anything as subjective as wine could be reduced to a number. It's also silly to think that an "expert" taster's opinion, such as that of Robert Parker or James Laube or James Suckling, should be given dictatorial deference. Each of them is, however skilled, just one taster. And it is the Internet and the ease with which it allows information proliferation that has enabled consumers to make terrific inroads against this tyranny of experts in the wine industry.
The best example of this CellarTracker, Eric Levine's invaluable web-based wine software. (Though it is worth noting that bulletin boards such as Wine Berserkers -- although not Parker's miserable online forum -- are also worthy venues.) Apart from being an intuitive and comprehensive tool for managing your wine cellar, CellarTracker allows user to post public tasting notes, and it has become the single finest repository of data on individual wines in the world. It also tethers in various expert reviews -- either automatically, in the case of the International Wine Cellar, Burghound, and others -- or via manual input for Parker and Spectator.
|Riesling at Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas is one of life's pure pleasures.
To understand why this is part of CellarTracker's genius, you have to understand generally why wine tasting notes matter. Rarely do two wine drinkers' palates mesh perfectly, if at all. As a result, when you read a tasting note, you have to calibrate your own palate to that of the writer. One person's "black cherry" might be another person's "blackberry." One person's perception of sweetness or tannin might differ dramatically from that of another. When widely available tasting notes were relegated to a handful of critics, it was difficult to calibrate your palate to that of a critic (not to mention the lingering fear that disagreeing with a critic's expert assessment might make you "wrong") because drinking a wine and comparing it to a single, fleeting tasting note is perversely inexact. Believe it or not, critics like Robert Parker get wines wrong; they have off days; they don't like certain wines or styles. These are biases inherent in every wine drinker, so the margin for error with fewer voices in the tasting note chorus is much greater.
CellarTracker, however, provides more data points for wine drinkers than ever before and, as a result, makes this "palate calibration" easier because the amount of data significantly reduces the prospects that information about the wine will be an outlier. (Naturally, when CellarTracker has fewer data on a wine, the less reliable it is.) The net result is that wine drinkers win because there is a more transparent, democratic community. Expansive forums like CellarTracker also enhance the usefulness of professional critics by giving them greater context -- it's easier to see when they get wines wrong or how they compare to someone whose palate coincides more closely with yours. This helps break down a lot of the old snobbery that has intimidated people from appreciating wine and have remained obstacles for too long. And, yes, it also means that every palate matters.


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4.8-Magnitude Earthquake Rumbles Through Yellowstone
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rumbled through Yellowstone National Park early Sunday morning, the area's strongest seismic activity in 34 years.
The quake occurred at 6:34 AM local time and originated near the Norris Geyser Basin in northwest Wyoming, approximately 23 miles outside of West Yellowstone, Montana. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
In a statement, the University of Utah Seismograph Station said that the large tremor is the latest in a series of 25 quakes that began last Thursday. The agency also stressed that such flurries, known as "earthquake swarms," are not unusual. The Yellowstone region is one of the world's largest active geothermal areas and sees an average of 1,600 small quakes per year.
Read more: Los Angeles Times


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On the 70th anniversary of the fire, two of Thomas and Catherine O'Neil's grandchildren will announce the establishment of a foundation to raise and distribute funds for the benefit of pediatric burn victims and their families.
NEW BEDFORD — Seventy years ago, Thomas O'Neil, his wife, Catherine, and his sister and her date, Isabelle O'Neil and Dr. Bill O'Connor, enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing at Boston's hottest nightclub — the Cocoanut Grove.
They had paid their bill, gotten their coats and were about to leave when Isabelle decided to visit the ladies room. It turned out to be a fateful moment for all of them.
O'Neil, 48, an inspector with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, and Catherine, 43, a housewife, of New Bedford, and Isabelle, who was about 35 and worked at B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River, were among the 492 people killed in the historic fire on Nov. 28, 1942. O'Connor, who was also about 35 and was a general practitioner in New Bedford, suffered burns to his hands but survived.
On the 70th anniversary of the fire, two of Thomas and Catherine's grandchildren will hold an "awareness raiser" and announce the establishment of the Thomas H. and Catherine D. O'Neil Charitable Foundation Inc. to raise and distribute funds for the benefit of pediatric burn victims and their families.
Christopher and Mark O'Neil, vice president and president, respectively, of the Tomlinson & O'Neil Insurance Agency of New Bedford, will announce a sizeable donation to the foundation at a private reception at the Country Club of New Bedford from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday.
The event will also call attention to a portal — www.cocoanutgrove.org — that contains witness statements about the fire recently released by the Boston Police Department. It will also recognize the work of the National Fire Protection Association, based in Quincy, in collecting information from numerous sources about the fire.
The National Fire Protection Association is working with partners like the Boston Public Library to collect the materials that are digitized and posted on the website.
"I wanted to use the anniversary as a stepping-off for the announcement of the foundation and the work that is presently being done out of Boston," Chris O'Neil said.
The brothers said the website is an invaluable tool for family members of victims and survivors, historians and researchers.
It was only from reading O'Connor's three-page statement that they learned some of the circumstances behind their paternal grandparents and their grand-aunt's deaths, they said.
"There are people all over the world looking for information because (the fire) affected them in some way," Chris O'Neil said.
"There are so many people who don't know what happened to their loved ones," Mark O'Neil said.
They said they have long been curious about the fire, but their father, the late Andrew O'Neil, one of Thomas and Catherine's three children, would not discuss it with them.
Sue Marsh, head librarian for the National Fire Protection Association, said the Boston police documents were only released a couple of weeks ago. She said the National Fire Protection Association is also hopeful of obtaining an additional set of witness statements from the Boston Fire Department.
"We're trying to pull together family members' stories that if we don't pull together will be lost," she said.


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More on-screen "amnesty" from Lou Dobbs Tonight
During the June 14 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, the politically charged word "amnesty" once again appeared in captions beneath news reports by CNN correspondents on deliberations over the Senate immigration bill. It was at least the second time in two weeks that a caption bearing the word "amnesty" has appeared in a news report airing on Dobbs that did not appear in similar reports during other CNN programs. This time, separate reports by White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and congressional correspondent Dana Bash were accompanied by on-screen text referring to "Bush's amnesty push," "pro-amnesty senators," and the "amnesty bill," even though both Malveaux and Bash have noted in previous reporting that "amnesty" is a characterization of the bill favored by "critics." When CNN's The Situation Room had aired similar reports earlier that day, the accompanying on-screen text featured the less inflammatory descriptor "Immigration deal," suggesting that Dobbs' program was responsible for adding editorial commentary to what was ostensibly a CNN news report.
On the June 14 edition of The Situation Room, during Malveaux's report on the White House's offer "to spend an additional $4 billion to secure the border," the on-screen text read: "Immigration deal sweetener: Pres. Bush offer to GOP" :
But when the identical report aired later that evening on Lou Dobbs Tonight, the on-screen text read: "Bush's amnesty push: Bush makes new offer" :
Similarly, during Bash's live report from Capitol Hill on the June 14 edition of The Situation Room, in which she reported on a possible "breakthrough," the on-screen text read: "Immigration deal making: Close to a new agreement" :
But during Bash's live report on Lou Dobbs Tonight, the on-screen text read: "Pro-amnesty senators reach 'deal' to revive amnesty bill" :
In previous reports on the congressional debate over immigration, both Malveaux and Bash have noted that "amnesty" is a term used by critics of reform proposals that would make citizenship possible for illegal immigrants currently in the United States. On the May 16, 2006, edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Malveaux, in a report about a previous immigration bill, noted that "[c]ritics" of Bush's immigration plan called it "amnesty" and described this characterization as an "argument." From that report:
MALVEAUX: The second component of the president's immigration reform plan, a temporary-worker program, is also running into trouble from members of the president's own party, specifically the proposal to allow some illegal immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship. Critics say that amounts to amnesty.
REP. J.D. HAYWORTH (R-AZ): The longer and the more flagrantly you have broken our immigration laws, the easier it will be to get on the so-called path to citizenship. I don't believe the American people will appreciate that. And I think they reject it.
MALVEAUX: To blunt the argument that such a plan is amnesty, Mr. Bush used some new words, which put the issue into moral terms.
Similarly, as Media Matters for America previously noted, on the May 18 edition of CNN Newsroom, Bash presented a report in which she quoted Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) saying, "We must meet certain enforcement and security triggers that will let everyone know that we are serious about enforcing our laws and that we're not going to repeat the 1986 amnesty," before noting that "a host of conservative critics labeled it [the Senate immigration bill] amnesty, vowed to block it, and said McCain and other supporters would pay a price."
From the June 14 edition of CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer:
BLITZER: Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, is watching it.
What do we know right now, Dana? Where do the negotiations stand?
BASH: Well, all throughout the day today, Wolf, senators have been meeting in a very small room right off the Senate floor, and they've been trying very hard to revive this immigration bill.
And, of the senators we talked to coming out, just even in the past half-an-hour or so, said that they were actually cautiously optimistic. One source inside the room actually said that they may be even on the verge of a breakthrough -- a breakthrough that could -- could -- bring this immigration bill back to the Senate floor by late next week.
From the June 14 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight:
DOBBS: President Bush, today, making a new effort to win over opponents of his amnesty legislation. President Bush now offering to spend an additional $4 billion to secure the border, but one leading opponent of the president's amnesty plan, Congressman Duncan Hunter [R-CA], a presidential candidate, blasting the offer. Congressman Hunter said border security shouldn't be conditional on amnesty.
Suzanne Malveaux reports from the White House.
[begin video clip]
MALVEAUX: In a desperate effort to get immigration reform through Congress, President Bush is offering this compromise: pass the bill, and immediately nearly $4.5 billion will go to strengthening the border.
BUSH [video clip]: The need for reform is urgent.
MALVEAUX: The urgency in securing the border is a transparent effort by Mr. Bush to convince his critics, mostly conservatives of his own party, that the government is serious about border enforcement. A senior administration official involved in the negotiations says this compromise is meant to address the mistakes of the immigration bill signed in 1986.
BUSH: Most Americans agree that the 1986 immigration law failed -- didn't work. It failed because it did not secure our border.
MALVEAUX: White House aides say the money would initially come out of the U.S. Treasury to create this $4.5 billion account. The account would be paid off using the fees and penalties collected from the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants over a two-year period.
TONY SNOW (White House press secretary) [video clip]: Think of it as a direct deposit right now on border security.
MALVEAUX: But with no idea of how many illegal immigrants are really in the United States, or how many would comply with the law and pay penalties, even White House aides acknowledge they're not certain the numbers would add up.
SNOW [video clip]: You're absolutely right. No, I hadn't -- no 100-percent guarantees here, but it is based on the best estimates.
MALVEAUX: But for some Republicans, any funds for border security that are tied to illegal immigrants becoming U.S. citizens is unacceptable.
HUNTER [video clip]: The security of American borders should not be conditioned on amnesty.
[end video clip]
MALVEAUX: Now, Lou, despite Congressman Duncan Hunter's reservations -- and he obviously says he is not in support of this plan -- those aides who I spoke with, White House aides, say they are confident that the president believes that this immigration reform bill will move forward, and the one reason they say this is because the president addressed what most concerned -- most of the Republicans who are concerned about, when they met behind closed doors on Tuesday with the president, and that is whether or not this administration would commit the resources to enforce the immigration, the laws, the border there.
And they believe that this $4.5 billion will add to what has already been requested, the $12 billion for border security, and that that will help in actually making this kind of support, building this support from the Republicans -- Lou.
DOBBS: Pro-amnesty senators tonight, reaching a tentative agreement to revive their amnesty legislation, but it is unclear whether the Democratic leadership supports their efforts.
Dana Bash has the report from Capitol Hill -- Dana.
BASH: Well, Lou, right now the senators who are trying to revive the immigration bill say they are on the verge of a breakthrough -- a breakthrough that they hope could bring immigration back to the Senate floor by next week. Now, as we speak, the Democratic and Republican leader in the Senate are meeting behind closed doors to figure out whether or not that can happen.


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|Meditation for serenity, bliss, and insight
The open meditation programs are ongoing, free, and open to the public. No reservations nor prior experience are necessary to attend. Meditation cultivates serenity and compassion. The Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles in Eagle Rock (on Colorado Blvd. at Figueroa, next to Pasadena) is holding a marathon public meditation and dinner for New Year's Eve 2014, from 4:00 pm to midnight. (Nominal charge for dinner, but sitting and party are FREE). Meditation instruction will also be available free. More


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A few days ago the GDR R2 was released of the VSTS 2008 Database Edition. One of the interesting features of this release is the fact that the Database Edition doesn't require a physical SQL Server Database anymore on the development machine. It is no longer necessary to install an instance of SQL Express or SQL Server prior to using the Database Edition.
In my opinion the Database Edition is one of the most underestimated Team System Client Edition. It's THE tool to manage database changes and to extend your team's productivity and to improve collaboration with the database team. On top of the inner strength of the standalone edition, it's now free if you already have a license for the Development Edition. Be sure to check it out if you're faced with all kinds of custom work to manage your different database environments in your development lifecycle.


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DDNEWS is an international news organization that reports on trends and developments that impact the business of drug discovery. We do this using several news vehicles: our monthly print publication and international PDF; a twice-monthly e-newsletter; a 24-7 website; and an e-New Product Showcase.
Our features and departments, produced by a team of seasoned journalists, provide you with the latest news involving global partnerships and business deals; tools and technology; diagnostics development; news in the growing field of omics; research and development; the ever-expanding world of contract research services and outsourcing; government-related issues; new products; market trends; people and events; and much more.
In the recent past, much of our coverage has involved cancer research efforts in some way. In response to this trend, in September 2011, we launched DDNEWS Cancer Research News, your gateway to the latest oncology news and resources. This new resource will showcase all of our cancer-related coverage, feature some of the industrys oncology leaders and serve as a bridge between you and the cancer community.


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Borcina has troubled legal history
STAMFORD -- Michael Borcina, the contractor overseeing renovations at the Shippan Avenue mansion consumed in the Christmas morning fire that killed three young sisters and their grandparents, has a trail of legal judgments and pending lawsuits over disputes from past jobs, court files show.
Borcina owes nearly $100,000 in legal judgments from two past projects in Manhattan and upstate Connecticut. According to a source familiar with the lawsuits, one of the former clients tried serving Borcina with legal documents during his hospital stay following the Shippan Avenue fire, in which he suffered burns and smoke inhalation.
Borcina also faces lawsuits from two more recent clients in Manhattan and Long Island. The complaints, filed over projects from the past two years, seek nearly $75,000.
Borcina's attorney, Eugene Riccio, declined to comment for the story. Since Borcina escaped the Shippan Avenue home during the fire that killed three young girls and their grandparents on Christmas morning -- which Stamford fire officials initially said started when Borcina discarded fireplace embers in a plastic bag -- scrutiny on the contractor and his business has mounted. With clients such as television personality Gayle King and an award-winning director, Borcina's high-end construction company, Tiberias, catered to upper-crust clientele, despite his rocky legal history.
One former client, identified through court records as Maurice Sonnenberg, a senior international adviser at JP Morgan Chase, won an $86,666 judgment against Borcina six years ago. Sonnenberg, a former adviser in several U.S. presidential administrations, filed a lawsuit against Borcina in 2004 at state Superior Court in Danbury after hiring Greenwich attorney Philip Russell.
Sonnenberg accused Borcina of breaching two contracts by failing to complete a pair of home improvement projects in winter 2001 at his Manhattan apartment, according to court documents. Two years after filing the lawsuit, Sonnenberg won a judgment ordering Borcina to pay $31,666 in damages, $50,000 on lost rental income from the unfinished apartment, and $5,000 in attorney's fees.
Borcina didn't hire an attorney, nor did he appear on his own behalf in the lawsuit, according to the court file. The court awarded the $86,666 judgment in February 2006 after checking whether he was serving in the U.S. military.
Holly Flor, a Roxbury woman who hired Borcina for a restoration in 1999, said she and her husband were unable to locate him after they secured a $15,000 judgment against him in a 2001 lawsuit filed at state Superior Court in Litchfield. She and her husband fired Borcina from the renovation job because of his erratic and unprofessional behavior, she said.
"He fancied himself a big-time contractor," Flor said. "I think what he was, was a skilled carpenter."
Flor recalled Borcina as bombastic and aggressive, especially with his employees. His personality often appeared to get in the way of the job, she said, which languished over a four- to six-month period. Turnover among workers was high during the renovation, she recalled, and his personal life seemed turbulent. She often was unable to reach him by phone, and he blamed missed appointments on car trouble and other excuses, Flor said.
"Even when I first met him he was always this testosterone-driven personality," Flor said. "This macho thing came through as his modus operandi."
At one point, he asked to move into Flor's home, she said. He lived in a wing of their large home for several weeks during the renovation.
More than a decade later, Borcina was staying at the Shippan Avenue home of Madonna Badger, a 47-year-old New York City advertising executive, when a raging fire ripped through the house and killed Badger's three daughters and her parents Christmas morning. Borcina and Badger escaped the fire. The intense heat of the fire pushed firefighters from the house during several rescue attempts.
Police and fire officials described the blaze as accidental and said no criminal charges were anticipated in the case. An initial investigation into the Christmas morning fire revealed that Borcina cleaned out the fireplace shortly after 3 a.m. and placed the embers in a bag and left them inside a newly constructed mudroom or just outside in an enclosed trash bin.
Badger buried her three girls -- 9-year-old Lily and 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace -- Jan. 5, following a funeral at a Manhattan church. Her parents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, were also killed in the fire. Pauline and the girls died from smoke inhalation, according to the state medical examiner. Lomer died from blunt head and neck trauma as he fell out of a window while trying to help one of the girls escape.
Stamford Fire & Rescue's final report on the blaze has yet to be filed. As Stamford Police Department investigators and fire marshals conduct a weeks-long investigation into the fire, Borcina has hired Riccio, a high-profile criminal defense attorney from Bridgeport, to represent him.
According to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Borcina's home improvement contractor registration expired in November 2000. State law prohibits home improvement contractors from working in Connecticut without a valid registration. Working as home improvement contractor without a registration is a class-B misdemeanor, a crime punishable by up to six months in prison and up to a $1,000 fine.
For the renovations at 2267 Shippan Ave., Borcina applied for a building permit in February 2011 for alterations costing $205,000. He listed Michael Foley, a licensed home improvement contractor from Purling, N.Y., as the general contractor. Foley could not be reached for comment.
Borcina's company, Tiberias Construction, asserts on its website that it performs high-end renovations and restorations for properties in New York and Fairfield County. Past projects include Gayle King's mansion in Greenwich and the Donna Karan store in New York City, according to the site. King, the former editor of Oprah Winfrey's O, The Oprah Magazine, declined to comment, an assistant wrote in an email.
According to New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs, the home improvement license for Tiberias and Borcina in that state expired June 2010, a few months before he took on a job renovating an Upper West Side co-op.
In December 2010, Borcina and his construction company were sued in New York Supreme Court by Patti Greaney and Robert Giraldi for allegedly failing to pay a sub-contractor $20,230 for work done at their home in Montauk, N.Y. The lawsuit also accused Borcina of keeping $28,954 of the $60,000 paid to him after beginning electrical work in December 2007 at the Long Island home. Greaney and Giraldi are seeking $49,184 from Borcina in the pending lawsuit. A producer and director in Manhattan, Giraldi directed the Michael Jackson music video for "Beat It" and the Pepsi commercial in which the late pop star's hair caught on fire, according to his production's company website and published reports.
Michael Mortenson, a 65-year-old waiter living in an Upper West Side co-op in Manhattan, sued Borcina this past June in New York City civil court for $25,000. Mortenson said he and his wife paid Borcina a $14,000 retainer in October 2010, and another $16,000 upon signing a contract to renovate an apartment they bought in the building where they have lived for the past 12 years.
Mortenson said Borcina began demolishing parts of the apartment before getting the necessary approval from the building's co-op board and before getting work permits from the city building department. Dust from the construction work made its way into an adjacent apartment.
Mortenson said he fired Borcina and asked him to repay $18,000 in the hopes of getting a settlement. Borcina stopped returning phone calls, so Mortenson filed a lawsuit against him seeking $25,000. He said he and his wife overlooked several red flags from Borcina because they preoccupied themselves with getting an extensive renovation approved by the co-op board. When neighbors and the co-op board voiced their concerns over the renovation, Borcina told Mortenson and his wife not to talk to them. A new contractor took over the renovations after Mortenson fired Borcina because of the unauthorized demolitions.
"We lived in the building for 12 years," Mortenson said. "They are our neighbors and our friends and he wanted to tell us how to treat them. That was another red flag."
Staff Writer Jeff Morganteen can be reached at email@example.com or 203-964-2215.